Baltika, the company, has reached out to the Russian government seeking protection for its brand rights in neighboring nations, as reported by Vedomosti, citing a letter from the company's vice-president, Alexander Dedegkaev, to the head of the Russian Presidential Administration, Anton Vaino.
In the letter, Dedegkaev urges Rospatent to request the intellectual property offices of CIS countries, Turkmenistan, and Mongolia to halt the re-registration of brands, specifically mentioning the Baltika trademark and associated names.
On July 19, representatives of the Russian company finalized agreements transferring rights to the Baltika trademark abroad to entities linked with Carlsberg, its former owner. As per the letter, these agreements were initiated by the Danish side, and Carlsberg subsidiaries gained rights to Baltika brands in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Mongolia. The validity of the documents is set for 20 years with the option of automatic renewal, according to Dedegkaev.
The top manager asserts that those who signed the agreements lacked the authority to do so. Notably, on July 17, two days prior, a new president, Taimuraz Bolloev, was appointed to the company, and the paperwork was completed without his involvement, as emphasized in the letter.
This situation resulted in the Russian company losing control over its brands outside the country. The letter notes that Carlsberg entities have already finalized the registration of new licensing agreements in Belarus and are actively pursuing similar actions in eight other countries.
Despite requests, official departments and Carlsberg have not responded to the publication, and Baltika has chosen not to comment. However, Vedomosti reported that a source close to the Russian company verified the authenticity of the letter.
In the earlier developments, Russia has taken temporary control of "Baltika" and the Russian subsidiary of Danone. The decree was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 16. Later, Carlsberg's new CEO declared the complete disassociation of the company from its Russian business and their refusal to engage in any agreements with the Russian government that would legitimize the seizure of their assets. The Danish conglomerate had been attempting to sell its subsidiary, Baltika, in Russia since the previous year, aligning with the trend of Western corporations exiting Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.
In November, the heads of Carlsberg’s Russian subsidiary, Baltika Breweries, Denis Sherstennikov and Anton Rogachevsky were arrested following the Kremlin’s takeover of the beer company in Russia.
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